family.  if it were not for my family encouraging me in the gifts the Lord has given me, i might have become fainthearted and abandoned the obedience the Lord calls me to.  as i've said before, families are the Lord's provision; they're little communities housing intimate fellowship for it's citizens.  to think of it in this way encourages me to love and pray for my family even more.  what does this have to do with Taylor and Emily you ask?  they're family; and their wedding was my first wedding directly involving family members.  i had the privilege of documenting the celebration and union of these two a few weeks ago (which meant i got to set the camera down a few times and boogie on the dance floor a little more than i might have otherwise - a big, big plus in my book).  it's a blessing to have family to celebrate with, because i know that blessing doesn't exist everywhere in the world.  be sure to tell your families you love them (mom's especially like to hear that).  well before i begin to get really sappy, here are a couple of Taylor and Emily's snowy day...

p.s. happy new year!!
p.p.s. take notice of the fantastic fotos of Taylor and Emily on the dance floor - i love the color, don't you?
p.p.p.s. the little girls are my adorable nieces - don't worry, their adorableness is obvious.

i'm playing with nikon's newest toy, the D3s.  boy, it's dreamy.  i love it.  i love playing around with the d-movie.  amazing quality!  i think i'm in lub.  i made a little portrait movie for y'all to check out - i think it's kind of funny. music by Sufjan Stevens, Flint (for the Unemployed and Underpaid).

i had the privilege of second shooting for Matt Lee, aka Matthew Gordon Photography.  it's always exciting and interesting to see how other fotografers operate.  what they think, what they use in their environment, how they compose, how they interact.  i love the opportunities to second shoot, because it avails me such rich experiences.  now, my art may not change, but i always walk away with an appreciation for their art -- having then seen how it's produced.  and it was no different working with Matt.  i went home with new ideas and different ways to approach fotografy.  thank you, Matt. 

mainly, these fotos are candid.  i felt kind of like a stalker -- in the shadows, lurking around, big camera.  the only thing i was missing was some aviators and a mustache.

p.s. the whole day trains went by, helicopters took off (helipad right next door), and probably some third kind of transportive vehicle did something

this was hard.  i narrowed down my favorite people fotografs to 1000 100 75  (it's kind of pathetic i couldn't get it below 75).  there were so many that made the initial list but it was too big so i just started arbitrarily removing them.  there were a few pairs that i couldn't separate and so counted them as one foto.
the Lord has certainly blessed and preserved me in this endeavor to become a picture maker.  really, these pictures are a testimony of the Lord's faithfulness and mercy.  i can't wait for next year.  holy smokes.  it's going to be the best yet ever unlike any other top notch no equal. 

to see all 75 follow the link: jfreyfavorites.  so what do you think, did your favorite make it?  did i miss any, would you add any to the list?

mine is...the fifth picture.  Molly, what can i say?  we just rocked it that day.